Just how funny,charmingand unpredictable is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the Broadway show that's been described as A Chorus Line for the grade-school set? Enough that two actors in CATCO's production, which continues through Aug. 18 in the Riffe Center's Studio One Theatre, are appearing in the musical comedy for the second time.

Just how funny, charmingand unpredictable is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, the Broadway show thatís been described as A Chorus Line for the grade-school set? Enough that two actors in CATCOís production, which continues through Aug. 18 in the Riffe Centerís Studio One Theatre, are appearing in the musical comedy for the second time.

The interactivity of the show was one factor drawing them back. "The audience participation is a big part of the show and makes it extra fun, but all the characters also are so relatable," Emily Turner said. Turner plays Logainne SchwartzandGrubenierre, the precocious daughter of two gay fathers. "Sheís very educated in public relations and peopleís rights, but is also very stressed out because her dads hate losers," Turner said. Logainne sings about how stressed out she is in Woe is Me. "Itís a comical song that makes her look like the Energizer Bunny because the lyrics are so complex," Turner said. Turner, a recent Capital University graduate, also appeared in the musical last fall at Capital but in the Marcy Park role. "Whereas Marcy is very stoic, blasť and bored with the whole thing, Logainne is so peppy, energetic and ready to go," she said. Nicolette Montana, who has appeared at CATCO as Christmas Eve in Avenue Q and Linda in Evil Dead the Musical, plays Marcy Park, an overachieving Asian student. Montana also played Marcy Park in an Emerald City Players production of the spelling-bee musical. "She has a beautiful character arc," Montana said. "Itís interesting to watch adults play kids who have to face neuroses or overcome obstacles and itís imperative to have full-grown adults playing these roles because adults have experienced these issues and come out the other side."

Composer-lyricist William Finn (Falsettos) and author Rachel Sheinkein created the Tony-winning musical to be interactive, with four audience volunteers invited onstage at each performance to compete with the student characters. (CATCO is mixing pre-chosen celebrity contestants with volunteers who fill out a questionnaire before the show.) "The musical is funny, unpredictable and so heartwarming," Ralph E. Scott said. "I love how everyone has some type of neurosis and is almost a nerd." Scott plays Vice Principal Douglas Panch, who hasnít been promoted to principal because of his anger-management issues. "Panch is not power-hungry but he loves the fact that he gets to ding the bell when a contestant is eliminated. He finds a tremendous amount of power in that," Scott said. "I also think he definitely was involved in some way in the spelling bee when he was young." Panchís behavior during the bee is subtly affected by his feelings for Rona Lisa Peretti (Krista Lively Stauffer), the veteran spelling-bee hostess and a past bee winner. "Heís completely enamored with Rona, one of the main reasons he decided to take this on at the last minute when the superintendent couldnít be there," Scott said. The vice principal not only supervises the bee but also brings up four volunteers from the audience to compete. Each volunteer is instructed to ask for a definition of each word and how itís used in a sentence. While the words and definitions are always real, Scott said, the sentences (such as "Potato chips are the Mexican lettuce" offer ample opportunity for quirky humor. "Iím delighted to put my improv skills to use with the four audience members, but no one has to be afraid of being picked," Scott said.

Lively Stauffer, meanwhile, deeply identifies with the characters since she participated in grade-school spelling bees while growing up in Gahanna. "It was scary and it was horrible to lose, especially from a pretty easy word," said Lively Stauffer, 32. "I think it was sixth grade when I first got to do it, but I got the word Ďwatercressí wrong. I heard the word as Ďwatercrestí and was too scared to ask for a definition.. I had to do the sixth-grade walk of shame down to my seat off the stage." Thus, the actress offers hard-earned advice for the audience volunteers: Always ask for the definition. "Get all the information you can and get use whatever silly technique you have to get the word right," she said. "Whether nerdy or cool, it gives you that extra edge. Itís great for kids to learn skills and swallow their fear. Iím still psychotic about spelling. When I see a word misspelled, I go crazy."